Smoot to Rope Converter

The Smoot is a non-standard, humorous unit of length created as part of an MIT fraternity prank in October 1958. It is defined by the height of Oliver R. Smoot (MIT class of 1962) at the time of the prank, which was 5 feet 7 inches.

This equates to:

• 67 inches (in)
• 1.7018 meters (m)
• Approximately 1.86 yards (yd)

Unlike standardized units, the Smoot is intrinsically tied to a specific individual's height at a particular moment and serves primarily as a cultural artifact and inside joke, particularly within the MIT community.

The Smoot unit originated in October 1958 during the pledge activities of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity at MIT. Pledges were tasked with measuring the length of the Harvard Bridge, which connects Boston and Cambridge, Massachusetts, over the Charles River.

Instead of using conventional measuring tools, the fraternity members decided to use one of their pledges, Oliver Smoot, as the unit of measure. They repeatedly laid him down end-to-end across the bridge, marking off increments in paint. His companions carried him or helped him move for each new measurement.

The final measurement determined the bridge's length to be 364.4 Smoots "plus or minus one ear". The "ear" indicated the uncertainty of the measurement, adding to the absurdity and humor of the event.

The painted markings on the bridge became a local landmark. They have been maintained and periodically repainted over the decades, often unofficially by members of the fraternity or other MIT affiliates. The Cambridge Police Department traditionally tolerates the markings because, among other reasons, they serve as useful reference points for identifying locations along the bridge.

Interestingly, Oliver R. Smoot later became a prominent figure in standards organizations, serving as Chairman of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and President of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), an ironic twist given his namesake unit's non-standard nature.

The Smoot is not used for any official, scientific, or commercial measurements. Its use is primarily cultural and humorous:

• Harvard Bridge Markings: The painted markings on the bridge sidewalk are its most famous application, indicating distance in Smoots from the Boston side. They are a well-known local landmark.
• MIT Culture and Slang: Used humorously within the MIT community and sometimes in the broader Boston area as a quirky local reference.
• Digital Recognition: The unit gained wider recognition when it was included as a unit of measurement in Google Calculator and Google Earth's ruler tool.
• Popular Culture: Occasionally referenced in media or tech circles as an example of a non-standard or humorous unit.